Mission Board

The Patriarch fixed a stern gaze upon Elder Bai, channeling the full force of his Heaven Realm cultivation base. "Elder Bai, I appreciate your contributions to the sect and to me personally. However, I disapprove of your opposition based on a personal grudge. Furthermore, he has reached the Peak of the Fundamental Realm."

The Patriarch paused, giving Elder Bai a moment to scrutinize Tang Yun's cultivation base. Resuming, he questioned, "You monitor all the disciples in this sect. Tell me, when was the last time you observed Tang Yun and assessed his cultivation base?"

Under the pressure, Elder Bai struggled to speak and think clearly, "I-It was just last month that I-I went on a stroll and did head counts of all the disciples, examined their progress. At that time, Tang Yun was just at the 1st Stage of the Fundamental Realm!"

Tang Yun noticed the situation worsening for him and spoke, "I have a confession to make. When I first joined this sect, I was already at the peak of the Fundamental Realm, but I used a cultivation technique given to me by my family before they passed to conceal my true cultivation base."

The patriarch retrieved the glass ball from his spatial ring. He needed to ensure Tang Yun wasn't a potential spy sent by an enemy sect.

Tang Yun comprehended the situation and placed his hand on the glass ball. "Why did you join this sect and hide your cultivation base? Were you paid by someone, or are you a spy from another sect?"

The patriarch strongly doubted that Tang Yun was a spy. If he possessed the ability to awaken an alchemy flame, he was a priceless talent that must be protected at all costs and nurtured properly. Sending such a talent to an enemy sect as a spy was an unimaginable decision.

He considered this as a precautionary measure, anticipating the possibility that the other sect might have planned for him not to interrogate Tang Yun due to his alchemy flame.

"I joined this sect and hid my cultivation base because I wanted to escape the cultivation world. I aimed to live a normal life, but now that I've spent some time here, I understand that isn't possible. I also wasn't paid by anyone nor am I a spy."

The patriarch and matriarch hoped this was wasn't true as they eagerly awaited the results the glass ball would give them.

Once the ball turned green, they both sighed in relief. However, Elder Bai was cursing Tang Yun inwardly, planning to kill him if the ball had turned red.

I apologize for any oversight. Here's a revised version:

"Also, Patriarch, while I would appreciate your personal tutoring, I suggest keeping our master disciple relationship confidential. If news spreads that you've accepted an outer core disciple privately, it will lead to outrage by other disciples and investigations from other sects. It's best to keep both my alchemy flame and our connection discreet for the sake of our sect's smooth progress."

The patriarch smiled. While most disciples would have been overjoyed to be a personal disciple of his, Tang Yun managed to keep his composure, and considered the potential consequences such an action could have for the sect.

This made him even more confident that he made the right choice in choosing Tang Yun as a disciple.

"Good thinking. I'll do as you suggested and keep our relationship a secret. As my way of helping you, I'll provide you with ample points to acquire alchemical ingredients for your cultivation. Before I proceed, are you proficient in alchemy?"

The patriarch presumed Tang Yun possessed skill in alchemy, given his choice to join an alchemical sect and successfully awaken an alchemy flame.

"I am confident that my skills in alchemy surpasses even that of the core disciples within the sect."

Everyone thought that Tang Yun was being arrogant, but his calm demeanor made them believe he was speaking the truth.

"In that case, I won't need to send you notes on ingredients and methods for pill concoction." The patriarch extended his hands to Tang Yun, who handed over his disciple badge.

The bronze disciple badge shone bright yellow, and once it dimmed, he handed it back to Tang Yun.

"This should be enough to buy you the most expensive ingredients hundreds of times over," he said, and Tang Yun checked the inside of the disciple badge using spatial awareness, finding 200,000 disciple points.

Elder Bai was furious, and as much as he wanted to say something, he knew the patriarch was on the last straw with him. If he angered him once more, the punishment would be severe.

Tang Yun bowed, "Thank you!"

He nodded, and they all left a few minutes after. Tang Yun made his way to the mission board inside the mission hall where all the missions were posted.

Once he entered, there were countless disciples present, as missions were the sole means of acquiring points, the only currency allowed for purchasing ingredients within the sect.

Certainly, if you were wealthy, you could buy ingredients outside the sect with your own funds, but outer core disciples were not wealthy and usually hailed from poor backgrounds.

That's why the mission hall was bustling with outer disciples and had only a few inner disciples, and no core disciples in sight.

Each disciple wore a belt to signify their disciple status: white for outer disciples, red for inner disciples, and black for core disciples.

Despite drawing attention with his appearance, Tang Yun paid no mind to the curious glances and focused on the mission board, where numerous tasks were listed on an Information Jade Slip.

An Information Jade Slip, akin to a Cultivation Jade Slip, stored information rather than cultivation techniques. While various Jade Slips existed, these two were among the most common in the cultivation world.

Jade Slips shared a common appearance—a rectangular jade with distinct carvings. Cultivation Slips displayed the technique's name, while Information Slips showcased the main topic through their carvings.

While Tang Yun reviewed missions, an angered Elder Bai marched toward the disciplinary hall, preparing to have a private discussion with a particular someone in closed cultivation.

In his mind, Elder Bai harbored the thought, 'Though I can't kill you directly, I can certainly arrange for someone else to do so!' with a malevolent expression.